Bruxism mouth guard device

ABSTRACT

A bruxism mouth guard device is disclosed herein. The bruxism mouth guard device includes a mouth guard body portion with a channel formed therein that is configured to receive one or more teeth of a user; one or more pressure sensing devices configured to sense a grinding or clenching of the one or more teeth of the user; a vibration device configured to vibrate one or more portions of the mouth of the user; and a control device operatively coupled to the one or more pressure sensing devices and the vibration device, the control device configured to activate the vibration device so as to vibrate the one or more portions of the mouth of the user when the one or more pressure sensing devices sense the grinding or clenching of the one or more teeth by the user. A bruxism mouth guard system including the device is also disclosed herein.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/913,493,entitled “Bruxism Mouth Guard Device And System Including The Same”,filed on Mar. 6, 2018, and further claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/517,956, entitled “Bruxism MouthGuard Device And System Including The Same”, filed on Jun. 11, 2017, thedisclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference as ifset forth in their entireties herein.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISK

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The invention generally relates to a bruxism mouth guard device and abruxism mouth guard system including the same. More particularly, theinvention relates to a bruxism mouth guard device and a bruxism mouthguard system for preventing the grinding or clenching of teeth by a userthereof.

2. Background

Bruxism is a condition in which teeth are grinded, gnashed, or clenched.The teeth clenching happens unconsciously during the day, but mostly atnight (sleep bruxism). Sleep bruxism is considered a sleep-relatedmovement disorder. People who clench or grind their teeth (brux) duringsleep are more likely to have other sleep disorders, such as snoring andpauses in breathing (sleep apnea). In many cases, bruxism can befrequent and severe enough to lead to jaw disorders, headaches, damagedteeth, and other problems.

Signs and symptoms of bruxism may include any one or more of thefollowing: (i) teeth grinding or clenching, which may be loud enough toawaken your sleep partner; (ii) teeth that are flattened, fractured,chipped, or loose; (iii) worn tooth enamel, exposing deeper layers ofyour tooth; (iv) increased tooth sensitivity; (v) jaw or face pain orsoreness; (vi) Tired or tight jaw muscles; (vii) pain that feels like anearache, though it is actually not a problem with one's ear; (viii) dullheadache originating in the temples; (ix) damage from chewing on theinside of your cheek; and (x) indentations on your tongue.

Frequently, individuals with night bruxism wake up in the mornings withchronic jaw pain and headaches, as a result of grinding and/or clenchingtheir teeth during the night. Typically, the only treatment that doctorsrecommend for night bruxism is to wear a mouth guard while sleeping.Although, while a mouth guard may remove some pressure off the jaw of aperson with night bruxism, it does not remedy the underlying causes ofthe disease. In addition, when a mouth guard is worn by an individualover a long period of time, the mouth guard can eventually result in thedeterioration of teeth and damage to the gums.

Therefore, what is needed is a bruxism mouth guard device that isconfigured to prevent the grinding or clenching of teeth of a user byproviding a tactile sensation in the mouth of the user when the grindingor clenching of teeth is sensed. Moreover, a bruxism mouth guard deviceis needed that is capable of continually alerting a user of teethgrinding or clenching during sleep so that the frequency of the teethgrinding or clenching may eventually decrease over time. Furthermore,there is a need for a bruxism mouth guard system, which includes thebruxism mouth guard device, that enables the mouth guard portion of thedevice to be easily cleaned after use, and allows the power source ofthe device to be easily recharged between uses of the device.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a bruxism mouth guarddevice and a bruxism mouth guard system including the same thatsubstantially obviates one or more problems resulting from thelimitations and deficiencies of the related art.

In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention,there is provided a bruxism mouth guard device that includes a mouthguard body portion, the mouth guard body portion comprising a channelformed therein that is configured to receive one or more teeth of auser; one or more pressure sensing devices in or on the mouth guard bodyportion, the one or more pressure sensing devices configured to sense agrinding or clenching of the one or more teeth of the user; a vibrationdevice in or on the mouth guard body portion, the vibration deviceconfigured to vibrate one or more portions of the mouth of the user; anda control device operatively coupled to the one or more pressure sensingdevices and the vibration device, the control device configured toactivate the vibration device so as to vibrate the one or more portionsof the mouth of the user when the one or more pressure sensing devicessense the grinding or clenching of the one or more teeth by the user inorder to prevent the grinding or clenching of the one or more teeth bythe user.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the one or morepressure sensing devices and the vibration device are each part of asensing and vibration assembly that is removable from the mouth guardbody portion so as to enable the mouth guard body portion to be cleanedseparately from the sensing and vibration assembly.

In yet a further embodiment, the sensing and vibration assembly furthercomprises a power source configured to provide power for the one or morepressure sensing devices, the vibration device, and the control device.

In still a further embodiment, the power source of the sensing andvibration assembly comprises one or more batteries.

In yet a further embodiment, the sensing and vibration assembly furthercomprises a central housing portion containing the vibration device, thecontrol device, and the power source; and the sensing and vibrationassembly additionally comprises a peripheral housing portion containingthe one or more pressure sensing devices.

In still a further embodiment, the mouth guard body portion furthercomprises an aperture disposed in a sidewall thereof configured toaccommodate a portion of the central housing portion passingtherethrough.

In yet a further embodiment, the peripheral housing portion of thesensing and vibration assembly is configured to be interiorly disposedwithin the mouth guard body portion.

In still a further embodiment, the central housing portion of thesensing and vibration assembly is configured to extend between a tongueof the user and a roof of the mouth of the user such that the vibrationdevice is capable of vibrating both the tongue of the user and the roofof the mouth of the user.

In yet a further embodiment, the one or more pressure sensing devicesare in the form of one or more piezoelectric sensors configured to sensea compression force exerted thereon by the grinding or clenching of theone or more teeth by the user.

In still a further embodiment, the control device is in the form of acircuit board that is operatively coupled to the one or more pressuresensing devices and the vibration device, the circuit board configuredto activate the vibration device so as to vibrate the one or moreportions of the mouth of the user when the one or more pressure sensingdevices sense the grinding or clenching of the one or more teeth above apredetermined threshold value.

In yet a further embodiment, the mouth guard body portion furthercomprises one or more recesses for receiving respective ones of the oneor more pressure sensing devices of the bruxism mouth guard device.

In still a further embodiment, the bruxism mouth guard device furthercomprises one or more sensor cover members configured to be insertedinto respective ones of the one or more recesses in the mouth guard bodyportion in order to cover one or more respective portions of the one ormore pressure sensing devices.

In accordance with one or more other embodiments of the presentinvention, there is provided a bruxism mouth guard system that includesa bruxism mouth guard device configured to worn inside a mouth of a userand a recharging unit configured to recharge the power source of thebruxism mouth guard device. The bruxism mouth guard device includes amouth guard body portion, the mouth guard body portion comprising achannel formed therein that is configured to receive one or more teethof the user; one or more pressure sensing devices in or on the mouthguard body portion, the one or more pressure sensing devices configuredto sense a grinding or clenching of the one or more teeth of the user; avibration device in or on the mouth guard body portion, the vibrationdevice configured to vibrate one or more portions of the mouth of theuser; a control device operatively coupled to the one or more pressuresensing devices and the vibration device, the control device configuredto activate the vibration device so as to vibrate the one or moreportions of the mouth of the user when the one or more pressure sensingdevices sense the grinding or clenching of the one or more teeth by theuser in order to prevent the grinding or clenching of the one or moreteeth by the user; and a power source configured to provide power forthe one or more pressure sensing devices, the vibration device, and thecontrol device.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, the one or morepressure sensing devices and the vibration device of the bruxism mouthguard device are each part of a sensing and vibration assembly that isremovable from the mouth guard body portion so as to enable the mouthguard body portion to be cleaned separately from the sensing andvibration assembly.

In yet a further embodiment, the sensing and vibration assembly of thebruxism mouth guard device further comprises a central housing portioncontaining the vibration device, the control device, and the powersource; and the sensing and vibration assembly additionally comprises aperipheral housing portion containing the one or more pressure sensingdevices.

In still a further embodiment, the mouth guard body portion of thebruxism mouth guard device further comprises an aperture disposed in asidewall thereof configured to accommodate a portion of the centralhousing portion passing therethrough.

In yet a further embodiment, the peripheral housing portion of thesensing and vibration assembly of the bruxism mouth guard device isconfigured to be interiorly disposed within the mouth guard bodyportion.

In still a further embodiment, the central housing portion of thesensing and vibration assembly of the bruxism mouth guard device isconfigured to extend between a tongue of the user and a roof of themouth of the user such that the vibration device is capable of vibratingboth the tongue of the user and the roof of the mouth of the user.

In yet a further embodiment, a bottom portion of the central housingportion of the sensing and vibration assembly of the bruxism mouth guarddevice is configured to be received within a recess on a top portion ofthe recharging unit.

In still a further embodiment, during the charging of the power sourceof the bruxism mouth guard device, the sensing and vibration assembly isconfigured to be disposed on the recharging unit without being attachedto the mouth guard body portion.

In yet a further embodiment, the one or more pressure sensing devices ofthe bruxism mouth guard device are in the form of one or morepiezoelectric sensors configured to sense a compression force exertedthereon by the grinding or clenching of the one or more teeth by theuser.

In still a further embodiment, the control device of the bruxism mouthguard device is in the form of a circuit board that is operativelycoupled to the one or more pressure sensing devices and the vibrationdevice, the circuit board configured to activate the vibration device soas to vibrate the one or more portions of the mouth of the user when theone or more pressure sensing devices sense the grinding or clenching ofthe one or more teeth above a predetermined threshold value.

In yet a further embodiment, the mouth guard body portion of the bruxismmouth guard device further comprises one or more recesses for receivingrespective ones of the one or more pressure sensing devices of thebruxism mouth guard device.

In still a further embodiment, the bruxism mouth guard device furthercomprises one or more sensor cover members configured to be insertedinto respective ones of the one or more recesses in the mouth guard bodyportion in order to cover one or more respective portions of the one ormore pressure sensing devices.

In yet a further embodiment, the power source of the bruxism mouth guarddevice comprises one or more batteries, the recharging unit configuredto wirelessly recharge the one or more batteries by means of inductivecharging.

It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and thefollowing detailed description of the present invention are merelyexemplary and explanatory in nature. As such, the foregoing generaldescription and the following detailed description of the inventionshould not be construed to limit the scope of the appended claims in anysense.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a bruxism mouth guard device accordingto a first embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the bruxism mouthguard device of FIG. 1 together with an extra mouth guard provided aspart of a mouth guard kit;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another extra mouth guard of the bruxismmouth guard device of FIG. 1 , wherein sensor insert members are shownexploded from the remainder of the mouth guard body portion;

FIG. 4 a is an exploded perspective view of the bruxism mouth guarddevice of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 b is a perspective view of a recharging unit for recharging thepower source of the bruxism mouth guard device of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 5 is another perspective view illustrating the sensing andvibration assembly of the bruxism mouth guard device of FIG. 1 disposedon the recharging unit so that the power source of the sensing andvibration assembly is capable of being recharged using the rechargingunit;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the mouth guard body portionof the bruxism mouth guard device of FIG. 1 being rinsed with water soas to clean the mouth guard body portion after use;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating the bruxism mouth guard deviceof FIG. 1 being disposed in the mouth of a user;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the bruxism mouth guard device disposed inthe mouth of the user, wherein the section is generally cut along thesagittal cutting-plane line A-A in FIG. 7 ;

FIG. 9 a is another perspective view of the bruxism mouth guard deviceof FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 9 b is a perspective view of a bruxism mouth guard device accordingto a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a rear elevational view of the bruxism mouth guard device ofFIG. 9 a;

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bruxism mouth guarddevice of FIG. 9 a , wherein the section is generally cut along thecutting-plane line B-B in FIG. 10 ;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the bruxism mouth guard device ofFIG. 9 a;

FIG. 13 is a transverse sectional view of the bruxism mouth guard deviceof FIG. 9 a , wherein the section is generally cut along thecutting-plane line C-C in FIG. 12 ; and

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a portable digital device with acontrol screen for controlling the operation of the bruxism mouth guarddevice described herein.

Throughout the figures, the same parts are always denoted using the samereference characters so that, as a general rule, they will only bedescribed once.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

A first illustrative embodiment of a bruxism mouth guard device is seengenerally at 100 in FIGS. 1, 2, 4 a, 7-9 a, and 10-13. In theillustrative embodiment, referring initially to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 a, thebruxism mouth guard device 100 generally comprises (i) a mouth guardbody portion 102, the mouth guard body portion 102 comprising a channel104 formed therein that is configured to receive one or more teeth of auser (as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 ); (ii) a pair of pressure sensingdevices 124 disposed in the mouth guard body portion 102, the pair ofpressure sensing devices 124 configured to sense a grinding or clenchingof the teeth 164 of the user; (iii) a vibration device 130 disposed onthe mouth guard body portion 102, the vibration device 130 configured tovibrate one or more portions of the mouth 162 of the user (see FIG. 8 );and (iv) a control device operatively coupled to the pair of pressuresensing devices 124 and the vibration device 130, the control device 128configured to activate the vibration device 130 so as to vibrate the oneor more portions of the mouth 162 of the user when one or more of thepressure sensing devices 124 sense the grinding or clenching of theteeth 164 by the user in order to prevent the grinding or clenching ofthe teeth 164 by the user. Advantageously, the bruxism mouth guarddevice 100 utilizes a two-part construction with a sensing and vibrationassembly 112 (see FIG. 2 ) that is separable from the mouth guard bodyportion 102 so that the mouth guard body portion 102 may be easilycleaned without damaging the electronics in the sensing and vibrationassembly 112.

Now, with reference primarily to FIGS. 2 and 4 a, the sensing andvibration assembly 112 of the bruxism mouth guard device 100 will bedescribed. As best shown in the exploded view of FIG. 4 a , the pair ofpressure sensing devices 124 and the vibration device 130 are each partof the sensing and vibration assembly 112. In the illustrativeembodiment, the sensing and vibration assembly 112 is removable from themouth guard body portion 102 so as to enable the mouth guard bodyportion 102 to be cleaned separately from the sensing and vibrationassembly 112. For example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the mouth guard bodyportion 102 of the bruxism mouth guard device 100 is capable of beingwashed separately from the electrical components of the sensing andvibration assembly 112 so that the electrical components are not damagedby the water used to clean the mouth guard body portion 102. Afterremoving the sensing and vibration assembly 112 from the mouth guardbody portion 102, it can be seen that the mouth guard body portion 102may be rinsed with water 158 from a faucet 156 in order to clean themouth guard body portion 102 between uses thereof. In FIG. 6 , a user isholding the mouth guard body portion 102 with his or her hand 160 whilethe mouth guard body portion 102 is being cleaned with fresh water 158from the faucet 156. The channel 104′ of the mouth guard body portion102 in FIG. 6 contains teeth indentations imprinted on the bottom andside surfaces thereof created by the teeth of the user.

Referring again to the exploded view of FIG. 4 a , it can be seen thatthe sensing and vibration assembly 112 further comprises a power sourceconfigured to provide power for the pair of pressure sensing devices124, the vibration device 130, and the control device 128. In theillustrative embodiment, the power source of the sensing and vibrationassembly 112 comprises a plurality of button cell batteries 136 (e.g.,three (3) lithium button cell batteries). Also, in the illustrativeembodiment, the pair of pressure sensing devices 124 are in the form ofpiezoelectric sensors (e.g., piezoelectric pressure sensor strips)configured to sense a compression force exerted thereon by the grindingor clenching of the teeth 164 by the user. The vibration device 130 maybe in the form of mini vibrating disk configured to impart a tactilesensation on a portion of the mouth of the user. Further, in theillustrative embodiment, the control device 128 of the sensing andvibration assembly 112 is in the form of a printed circuit board (PCB)that is operatively coupled to the pair of pressure sensing devices 124and the vibration device 130 (see FIG. 4 a ). In particular, as shown inFIG. 4 a , each of the pressure sensing devices 124 is electricallyconnected to the control device 128 by respective electrical wires 126.Similarly, the vibration device 130 is electrically connected to thecontrol device 128 by an electrical wire 132. The vibration device 130also contains an additional electrical wire 134 connected thereto forelectrically coupling the vibration device 130 to the plurality ofbatteries 136. The PCB control device 128 is configured to activate thevibration device 130 so as to vibrate one or more portions of the mouth162 of the user (e.g., the roof 168 of the mouth and the tongue 166 ofthe user—see FIG. 8 ) when one or more of the pressure sensing devices124 sense the grinding or clenching of one or more teeth 164 of the userabove a predetermined threshold value (e.g., above a predeterminedpressure value in pound-force per square inch (lbf/sq. in. or psi) orNewtons per square meter (N/m²)). For example, the threshold range forbruxism detection by the pressure sensing devices 124 may be adjustablein the range between approximately 50 lbf/sq. in. (344,738 N/m²) andapproximately 80 lbf/sq. in. (551,581 N/m²). Thus, as one such example,if the pressure measured by the pressure sensing devices 124 exceeds 50lbf/sq. in., the PCB control device 128 may be configured to activatethe vibration device 130. The PCB control device 128 controls theoperation of the pressure sensing devices 124 in accordance with a teethgrinding level (i.e., a pressure setting) that is input by the user on aportable digital device 170 (see FIG. 14 ), which will be describedhereinafter.

Next, with reference again to FIGS. 2 and 4 a, the housing 114 of thesensing and vibration assembly 112 will be explained. As shown in thesefigures, the housing 114 of the sensing and vibration assembly 112includes a central housing portion 116 containing the vibration device130, the control device 128, and the power source 136. The housing 114further includes a peripheral housing portion connected to the centralhousing portion 116 for containing the pressure sensing devices 124 andthe electrical wiring extending thereto. Specifically, the peripheralhousing portion of the housing 114 includes oppositely disposed sensorhousing portions 122 containing the pressure sensing devices 124 and ahorseshoe-shaped peripheral connector portion 120 that houses theelectrical wiring 126 coupling the pressure sensing devices 124 to thePCB control device 128. The horseshoe-shaped peripheral connectorportion 120 of the housing 114 attaches the oppositely disposed sensorhousing portions 122 to the centrally disposed housing portion 116. InFIG. 4 a , it can be seen that the central housing portion 116 comprisesa cylindrical recess 118 disposed therethrough for accommodating theelectrical components 128, 130, 136 within the central housing portion116. The electrical components 128, 130, 136 are enclosed within thecentral housing portion 116 by means of a cylindrical cover member 138is received within the recess 118 of the central housing portion 116(i.e., the cylindrical cover member 138 together with the bounding wallsof the recess 118 define an enclosed chamber for holding electricalcomponents 128, 130, 136).

With combined reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 a of the illustratedembodiment, the features of the mouth guard body portion 102 of thebruxism mouth guard device 100 will be described. As shown in thesefigures, the posterior wall of the front portion of the mouth guard bodyportion 102 comprises an aperture 108 disposed therethrough that isconfigured to accommodate the tongue-like central housing portion 116passing therethrough (see FIG. 1 ). In addition, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3,and 4 a, the mouth guard body portion 102 further comprises a pair ofsensor recesses 106 for receiving respective ones of the pair ofpressure sensing devices 124 of the bruxism mouth guard device 100. Inthe illustrative embodiment, each recess 106 is disposed within the topsurface of the bottom wall of the mouth guard body portion 102 on arespective opposite side of the mouth guard body portion 102. The sensorrecesses 106 are located on the posterior portion of the mouth guardbody portion 102 so as to accommodate the pressure sensing devices 124in a location proximate to the molar teeth of the user. Also, in theillustrative embodiment, the bruxism mouth guard device 100 furthercomprises a pair of sensor cover members 110 configured to be insertedinto respective ones of the sensor recesses 106 in the mouth guard bodyportion 102 in order to cover respective ones of the pressure sensingdevices 124 (refer to FIGS. 3 and 4 a). The sensor cover members 110fill in the gaps between the recessed pressure sensing devices 124 andthe top surface of the bottom wall of the guard channel 104 so that thebottom wall of the guard channel 104 is essentially a continuous flatsurface. Advantageously, the sensor cover members 110 help to ensurethat the teeth 164 of the user activate the pressure sensing devices 124when clenched because the sensor cover members 110 prevent the teeth 164from merely extending into a void above the pressure sensing devices124. In some embodiments, rather than providing the sensor cover insertmembers 110, the thicknesses of the sensor housing portions 122 may beincreased such that the top surfaces of the sensor housing portions 122lie generally flush with the top surface of the bottom wall of the guardchannel 104.

In the illustrative embodiment, the mouth guard body portion 102 may beformed from an elastically deformable polymeric material, such assilicone. As such, the mouth guard body portion 102 is capable ofreadily conforming to the particular geometry of the user's mouth 162.

Also, in one or more embodiments, a plurality of mouth guard bodyportions 102 may be provided with a single sensing and vibrationassembly 112 as part of a bruxism mouth guard kit. For example, as shownin FIGS. 2 and 3 , an exemplary kit may be provided with a first mouthguard body portion 102 and two extra mouth guard body portions 152, 154.Advantageously, by providing multiple mouth guard body portions 102,152, 154 within a kit, a user is able to simply discard one of the mouthguard body portions when it becomes worn out, and then continue usingthe sensing and vibration assembly 112 with one of the other two mouthguard body portions provided in the kit.

As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 8 , in the illustrativeembodiment, the central housing portion 116 and the cover member 138 ofthe sensing and vibration assembly 112 is configured to extend between atongue 166 of the user and a roof 168 of the mouth 162 of the user suchthat the vibration device 130 is capable of vibrating both the tongue166 of the user and the roof 168 of the mouth 162 of the user. As such,by providing a tactile sensation to both the tongue 166 and the roof 168of the mouth 162 of the user, the bruxism mouth guard device 100 is ableto effectively alert the user when he or she is grinding or clenchinghis or her teeth during sleep. In the illustrative embodiment, thevibration device 130 emits a vibration that is sufficient to alert thebrain of the user so as to result in the ceasing of the grinding orclenching of his or her teeth, but it does not wake up the user duringsleep.

Turning to the sectional views of FIGS. 11 and 13 , it can be seen thatthe peripheral housing portion of the sensing and vibration assembly 112is configured to be interiorly disposed within the mouth guard bodyportion 102. More particularly, as shown in these figures, thehorseshoe-shaped peripheral connector portion 120 of the sensing andvibration assembly housing 114 is configured to be disposed within acavity of the inner sidewall of the mouth guard body portion 102. In theillustrated embodiment, a slit is formed in the inner sidewall of themouth guard body portion 102 that extends into the sidewall cavity so asto allow the top portion of the inner sidewall to be elasticallydeformed by a user, and the peripheral connector portion 120 of thesensing and vibration assembly housing 114 to be inserted into thesidewall cavity. When the sensing and vibration assembly 112 is beingattached to the mouth guard body portion 102, the tongue-like centralhousing portion 116 is first passed through the aperture 108 in theposterior front wall of the mouth guard body portion 102, then thehorseshoe-shaped peripheral connector portion 120 of the sensing andvibration assembly housing 114 is inserted into the peripheral innersidewall cavity of the mouth guard body portion 102 by the user “peelingback” the top portion of the elastically deformable mouth guard bodyportion 102.

Now, referring to FIGS. 4 b and 5, the battery charging unit 140 that isused for recharging the batteries 136 of the bruxism mouth guard device100 will be described. In one or more embodiments, the bruxism mouthguard device 100 may be provided as part of a bruxism mouth guardsystem, which also includes the battery charging unit 140 depicted inFIGS. 4 b and 5. Initially, as shown in FIG. 4 b , the battery chargingunit 140 comprises a charger body portion 142 with a centrally disposedcharging recess 144, and a power cord 146 for connecting the batterycharging unit 140 to a power source (e.g., a 120-volt power receptaclein a dwelling). As shown in FIG. 4 b , the battery charging unit 140 mayalso be provided with a removable plastic shield member 148 that isconfigured to fit over the top surface of the battery charging unit 140so as to protect the top surface of the battery charging unit 140 whenthe sensing and vibration assembly housing 114 is disposed thereon. Theplastic shield member 148 comprises a centrally disposed aperture 150formed therethrough that aligns with the centrally disposed chargingrecess 144 of the charger body portion 142. In the illustrativeembodiment, the battery charging unit 140 is in the form of an inductioncharging unit that is configured to wirelessly recharge the batteries136 by means of inductive charging. As such, the battery charging unit140 does not require the batteries 136 to be removed from the sensingand vibration assembly housing 114 in order to undergo charging.

FIG. 5 illustrates the sensing and vibration assembly 112 of the bruxismmouth guard device 100 disposed on the battery recharging unit 140 sothat the batteries 136 of the sensing and vibration assembly 112 arecapable of being recharged using the recharging unit 140. As shown inFIG. 5 , during the charging of the batteries 136 of the bruxism mouthguard device 100, the sensing and vibration assembly 112 is configuredto be disposed on the top of the recharging unit 140 without beingattached to the mouth guard body portion 102. Thus, in order to chargethe batteries 136 of the bruxism mouth guard device 100, the sensing andvibration assembly 112 is first removed from the mouth guard bodyportion 102, and then it is placed on the top of the battery chargingunit 140 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5 . When disposed on thebattery charging unit 140, a bottom cylindrical portion of the centralhousing portion 116 of the sensing and vibration assembly 112 of thebruxism mouth guard device 100 is configured to be received within therecess 144 on the top of the recharging unit 140. Once the sensing andvibration assembly 112 is disposed in its charging position on the topof the battery charging unit 140 (FIG. 5 ), the batteries 136 of thesensing and vibration assembly 112 are recharged by means of inductivecharging.

A second illustrative embodiment of the bruxism mouth guard device isseen generally at 200 in FIG. 9 b . Referring to this figure, it can beseen that, in most respects, the second illustrative embodiment is thesame as the first illustrative embodiment. Moreover, nearly all of theelements are common to both such embodiments. For the sake of brevity,the elements that the second embodiment of the bruxism mouth guarddevice has in common with the first embodiment will not be discussedbecause these components have already been described above.

Referring to FIG. 9 b , it can be seen that the bruxism mouth guarddevice 200 is generally the same as the bruxism mouth guard device 100described above, except that the cylindrical cover member 238 of thesensing and vibration assembly housing 114 has been extended to ensurethat it contacts the palate or roof 168 of the user's mouth 162. Theextended cylindrical cover member 238 of the bruxism mouth guard device200 ensures that the vibrations generated by the vibration device 130will be imparted on both the tongue 166 of the user and the palate 168of the user, particularly in users having a taller mouth cavity.

In the illustrative embodiments, the bruxism mouth guard device 100, 200further comprises a wireless data interface (e.g., a wirelesstransmission component) for wirelessly communicating with a portabledigital device (e.g., a cellular smartphone 170—see FIG. 14 ). Inparticular, the wireless data interface of the bruxism mouth guarddevice 100, 200 may be configured to wirelessly communicate with theportable digital device 170 by means of a wireless personal area network(e.g., Bluetooth® low energy or Bluetooth® LE) or a wireless local areanetwork (e.g., Wi-Fi®).

In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 14 , the portable digital device170 is in the form of a smartphone or a smart cellular phone with amode/home button 178 that is configured to be held in the hand 160 ofthe user. Also, in the illustrative embodiment, an application softwareprogram for controlling the operation of the bruxism mouth guard device100, 200 is loaded on, and executed by portable digital device 170 sothat the user is able to easily modify the operational parameters of thedevice 100, 200. As shown in FIG. 14 , the illustrative portable digitaldevice 170 comprises a touchscreen user interface that enables a user tomanipulate visual objects on the screen of the smart digital device 170using his or her fingers. The portable digital device 170 is speciallyprogrammed so as to enable the user to adjust the operational settingsof the bruxism mouth guard device 100, 200 using the touchscreen userinterface of the portable digital device 170. An exemplary controlscreen 172 for the bruxism mouth guard device 100, 200 is illustrated inFIG. 14 . In FIG. 14 , it can be seen that the control screen 172 isprovided with adjustable level setting means 174 for the vibrationsensitivity of the vibration device 130 of the bruxism mouth guarddevice 100, 200 and adjustable level setting means 176 for theteeth-grinding detection level of the pressure sensing devices 124 ofthe bruxism mouth guard device 100, 200 (e.g., a grinding leveladjustable between 50 lbf/sq. in. and 80 lbf/sq. in). In addition toallowing the user to adjust the speed of the vibrations produced by thevibration device 130 and the pressure level setting for the pressuresensing devices 124, the application software program for controllingthe bruxism mouth guard device 100, 200 that is executed by the portabledigital device 170 may also track the grinding of the user's teeth overtime so that the user is able to assess whether the bruxism condition isimproving over time. The application software program for controllingthe bruxism mouth guard device 100, 200 may monitor the daily use of thedevice 100, 200 (e.g., track trends in the grinding pressure) so thatthe grinding level may be modified manually or automatically to avoidfalse alerts and detect more bruxism events at the beginnings thereof.Also, to avoid false alerts, the application software program mayrequire the threshold grinding level to occur for a predetermined periodof time (e.g., 1.0 second or more) before resulting in an alarm tripcondition that activates the vibration device 130, thereby preventingmomentary jaw movements from creating undesirable false alerts. Further,the application software program may take into account other factors,such as sleep status (e.g., as determined by an accelerometer in theportable digital device 170), when determining whether or not to triggerthe vibration device 130. Advantageously, because all of the operationalsettings of the bruxism mouth guard device 100, 200 are capable of beingadjusted using the touchscreen user interface of the portable digitaldevice 170, there is no need for any display or control panel to beprovided on the bruxism mouth guard device 100, 200 itself.

While the portable digital device 170 for the controlling theoperational settings of the bruxism mouth guard device 100, 200 is inthe form of a smartphone in the illustrative embodiment, it is to beunderstood that, in other embodiments, the portable digital device mayalternatively being in the form of: (i) a tablet device, (ii) a laptopcomputing device, (iii) a palmtop computing device, or (iv) a desktopcomputing device.

It is readily apparent that the aforedescribed bruxism mouth guarddevice 100, 200 and the bruxism mouth guard system including the sameoffers numerous advantages. First, the bruxism mouth guard device 100,200 is configured to prevent the grinding or clenching of teeth of auser by providing a tactile sensation in the mouth of the user when thegrinding or clenching of teeth is sensed. Secondly, the aforedescribedbruxism mouth guard device 100, 200 is capable of continually alerting auser of teeth grinding or clenching during sleep so that the frequencyof the teeth grinding or clenching may eventually decrease over time.Finally, the bruxism mouth guard system described herein enables themouth guard portion of the device to be easily cleaned after use, andallows the power source of the device 100, 200 to be easily rechargedbetween uses of the device.

Any of the features or attributes of the above described embodiments andvariations can be used in combination with any of the other features andattributes of the above described embodiments and variations as desired.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to acertain embodiment or embodiments, it is apparent that this inventioncan be embodied in many different forms and that many othermodifications and variations are possible without departing from thespirit and scope of this invention.

Moreover, while exemplary embodiments have been described herein, one ofordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the exemplaryembodiments set forth above are merely illustrative in nature and shouldnot be construed as to limit the claims in any manner. Rather, the scopeof the invention is defined only by the appended claims and theirequivalents, and not, by the preceding description.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A bruxism mouth guard device, comprising: amouth guard body portion, said mouth guard body portion comprising achannel formed therein that is configured to receive one or more teethof a user, and said mouth guard body portion being U-shaped with acentral void bounded by an interior peripheral wall of said mouth guardbody portion, said interior peripheral wall of said mouth guard bodyportion comprising an opening that is in communication with a centralrecess of said mouth guard body portion; one or more pressure sensingdevices in or on said mouth guard body portion, said one or morepressure sensing devices comprising one or more pressure sensor stripsconfigured to sense a grinding or clenching of said one or more teeth ofsaid user; a vibration device in or on said mouth guard body portion,said vibration device comprising a vibrating disk configured to vibrateone or more portions of the mouth of said user; and a control deviceoperatively coupled to said one or more pressure sensing devices andsaid vibration device, said control device comprising a circuit board,said control device configured to activate said vibration device so asto vibrate said one or more portions of said mouth of said user whensaid one or more pressure sensing devices sense the grinding orclenching of said one or more teeth by said user in order to prevent thegrinding or clenching of said one or more teeth by said user; whereinsaid one or more pressure sensing devices, said vibration device, andsaid control device are each part of a sensing and vibration assembly,said sensing and vibration assembly comprising an assembly housingcontaining said one or more pressure sensing devices, said vibrationdevice, and said control device; and said opening in said interiorperipheral wall of said mouth guard body portion configured toaccommodate a portion of said assembly housing passing therethrough intosaid central void of said mouth guard body portion.
 2. The bruxism mouthguard device according to claim 1, wherein said sensing and vibrationassembly is removable from said mouth guard body portion so as to enablesaid mouth guard body portion to be cleaned separately from said sensingand vibration assembly.
 3. The bruxism mouth guard device according toclaim 2, wherein said sensing and vibration assembly further comprises apower source configured to provide power for said one or more pressuresensing devices, said vibration device, and said control device; andwherein said power source of said sensing and vibration assemblycomprises one or more batteries.
 4. The bruxism mouth guard deviceaccording to claim 3, wherein said assembly housing of said sensing andvibration assembly further comprises a central housing portioncontaining said vibration device, said control device, and said powersource; and said assembly housing of said sensing and vibration assemblyadditionally comprises a peripheral housing portion containing said oneor more pressure sensing devices.
 5. The bruxism mouth guard deviceaccording to claim 4, wherein said peripheral housing portion of saidassembly housing of said sensing and vibration assembly is configured tobe interiorly disposed within said mouth guard body portion.
 6. Thebruxism mouth guard device according to claim 4, wherein said centralhousing portion of said assembly housing of said sensing and vibrationassembly is configured to extend between a tongue of said user and aroof of said mouth of said user such that said vibration device iscapable of vibrating both said tongue of said user and said roof of saidmouth of said user.
 7. The bruxism mouth guard device according to claim1, wherein said one or more pressure sensing devices are in a form ofone or more piezoelectric sensors configured to sense a compressionforce exerted thereon by the grinding or clenching of said one or moreteeth by said user.
 8. The bruxism mouth guard device according to claim1, wherein said circuit board of said control device is operativelycoupled to said one or more pressure sensing devices and said vibrationdevice, said circuit board configured to activate said vibration deviceso as to vibrate said one or more portions of said mouth of said userwhen said one or more pressure sensing devices sense the grinding orclenching of said one or more teeth above a predetermined thresholdvalue.
 9. The bruxism mouth guard device according to claim 1, whereinsaid mouth guard body portion further comprises one or more sensorrecesses for receiving respective ones of said one or more pressuresensing devices of said bruxism mouth guard device; and wherein saidbruxism mouth guard device further comprises one or more sensor covermembers configured to be inserted into respective ones of said one ormore sensor recesses in said mouth guard body portion in order to coverone or more respective portions of said one or more pressure sensingdevices.